WJPA Sports

The WPIAL Wrestling Team Tournament semifinals and finals are set for Saturday at Peters Township’s AHN Arena. We’ll carry the McGuffey (2A) and Canon-McMillan (3A) matches on WJPA-AM (1450) and online Listen Here. The 2A semifinalists have all clinched berths in next week’s PIAA Team Tournament. Only the top three teams in 3A qualify.

2A Semifinals, 9:50 am
#3 McGuffey vs. #2 Derry Area, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
#1 Burrell vs. #4 Laurel

Championship (semifinal winners), 11:20 am
3rd Place (semifinal losers), 11:20 am

3A Semifinals, 1:20 pm
#3 Canon-McMillan vs. #2 Norwin, WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
#1 Franklin Regional vs. #4 Connellsville

Championship (semifinal winners), 2:50 pm
3rd Place, PIAA Qualifier (semifinal losers), 2:50 pm

Defending WPIAL 5A girls champion Peters Township kept its playoff hopes alive with a crushing victory over Alert Gallatin. The Indians play Uniontown, then Bethel Park next week. Two wins put the Indians back in the post-season, something that seemed unlikely just a week ago. The Peters Township boys used 8-0 & 13-0 first-half runs to distance themselves from South Fayette. During the fourth quarter, Dylan Donovan became the all-time boys scoring leader at Peters Township, breaking a record that stood for 26 years. Donovan is just four points shy of 1,300 in his career. Ringgold improved its playoff chances with a one-point win at Baldwin. In 3A Section 3, McGuffey and Wash High moved into playoff spots with Friday wins. Charleroi locked up a 3A Section 4 berth, winning at Mt. Pleasant. Waynesburg clinched despite losing a one-point game at Southmoreland. The four teams with playoff berths in hand in 2A Section 3 play each other tonight (C-H @ B-C and J-M @ FtCh), while West Greene can clinch with a win at Burgettstown. Jeff-Morgan’s win keeps the Rockets within one game of league leader Chartiers-Houston. Avella topped Cornell Friday night and, paired with an Aquinas win over Beaver County Christian, clinched a playoff spot for the Eagles. Here’s the Washington/Greene section scoreboard for Friday/Saturday:

Girls
5A Peters Township 63, Albert Gallatin 16
3A McGuffey 40, Brownsville 33
2A-3 California 42, Carmichaels 12
1A West Greene 46, Clairton 27

Boys
6A Hempfield 68, Canon-McMillan 40
5A Peters Township 66, South Fayette 45 Watch/Listen Here
5A Ringgold 53, Baldwin 52
3A-3 McGuffey 52, Keystone Oaks 48, 2OT
3A-3 Wash High 62, Sto-Rox 58
3A-4 Southmoreland 62, Waynesburg 61
3A-4 Charleroi 63, Mt. Pleasant 59
2A-1 Bentworth at Clairton, postponed
2A-1 Frazier 60, California 36
2A-3 Chartiers-Houston 58, Beth-Center 35
2A-3 Jeff-Morgan 52, Fort Cherry 42
2A-3 West Greene 57, Burgettstown 43
2A-3 Carmichaels 67, Mapletown 35
1A Avella 63, Cornell 49

Saturday
Girls 3A Seton-La Salle at Waynesburg
Boys 1A Summit at Avella

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Patrick Graham is heading to Pittsburgh to run the Steelers’ defense for Mike McCarthy. The Steelers have hired Graham as their new defensive coordinator. Graham takes over a highly paid, if occasionally erratic defense. Graham spent the last four years with the Raiders, where the defense steadily improved. The Steelers won the AFC North this season, but the defense struggled at times. Pittsburgh finished 26th in yards allowed, its lowest ranking in that category since 1988.

[Associated Press] Federal safety officials have concluded that retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was not flying his jet when it crashed last month, killing him and six others. The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on Friday. It states that while an experienced pilot was at the controls, the copilot was not qualified for that role. Biffle, along with retired airline pilot Dennis Dutton and his son Jack noticed gauge malfunctions on the Cessna C550. The crash occurred while the plane was trying to return to Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina. Biffle’s wife, Cristina, and children Ryder and Emma, along with his friend Craig Wadsworth, also died in the crash.

Lindsey Vonn is sitting out a World Cup super-G race on Saturday after crashing and injuring her left knee a day earlier but remains on track for the Milan Cortina Olympics. Vonn’s personal head coach Chris Knight tells The Associated Press in a text message “No she is not racing today but preparing for Cortina as usual.” Vonn posted on Instagram that “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to race today.” She adds “Doing my best right now….” with praying hands and fingers-crossed emojis. Vonn crashed in a downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. It still wasn’t clear what her injury was. Saturday’s super-G was slated to be her final race before the Games open next Friday.